Skateboard Deck Size Guide for Every Type of Skater

Skateboard decks now come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Because of this, selecting your first board can be a difficult task. especially if you lack the knowledge necessary to choose a skate shop online or don’t have a skate shop close by.

Finally ready to take the big skateboarding leap but unsure of what size deck to choose? Not to worry. You can trust us.

Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about choosing the ideal skateboard deck size from our in-depth, thorough guide.

What Size Skateboard Deck Should You Get?

There are a ton of factors you may take into account when determining your ideal skateboard deck size. However, if it’s your first time choosing a deck, we advise concentrating on 4 key factors.

• The type of skating you want to do
• The size of your trucks
• Your body type
• Your shoe size

Skateboard Deck Size and Type Of Skating

When choosing a deck, your first thought should be, “What do I want to be doing on my skateboard?”

Are 360-degree flips down stairs part of your dreams? Do you imagine flying over broad ramps? Maybe you want to accomplish everything.

Finding your ideal size will let you to perform at your peak in the selected discipline, whether you wish to specialize in street, transition, or freestyle skating.

Your Skateboard Trucks’ Size

This step can be skipped if you’re trying to purchase a complete skateboard because the truck and deck are already matched.

Choose a size that matches your trucks if you already have a pair of trucks and are just looking to replace your deck. Visit the section below on skateboard deck and truck size to determine the best deck size for your trucks.

Features of trucks

• Width: The width of your skateboard truck should match the width of your skateboard deck for proper alignment and stability.
• Height: The height of your skateboard truck affects stability and maneuverability. Mid-height trucks are popular among skateboarders.
• Bushings: The rubbery cushions that sit between the truck’s baseplate and hanger affect turning and stability. Softer bushings allow for tighter turns, while harder bushings provide more stability.
• Kingpin: The bolt that runs through the center of your truck can be adjusted to change the tightness. Tighter kingpins provide more stability, while looser kingpins allow for easier turning.
• Weight: The weight of your trucks can affect the overall weight of your board. Lighter trucks are better for tricks, while heavier trucks offer more stability and durability.

Its Body Type

The size of the deck you select will be strongly influenced by your body type.

Lean toward the thinner sized decks in your skating type if you are more of a lightweight. Heavy people should use thicker, bigger decks that can support their weight better.

Your skateboard size will be influenced much more by your height in addition to your weight. Tall skaters will undoubtedly go toward larger decks for increased stability, while smaller riders may want thinner boards to maintain a responsive setup.

Types of Deck

• Standard: The most common type of skateboard deck with a symmetrical shape and slightly concave surface.
• Popsicle: Similar to standard decks, but with a more pronounced curve on the nose and tail for better trick performance.
• Cruiser: Wider and longer than standard decks, with a flat or slightly curved surface, ideal for cruising around town.
• Longboard: Longer and wider than standard decks, with a flexible design that’s great for cruising, carving, and downhill riding.
• Old School: Wider and squared-off shape, popular among skaters who prefer a more retro style.

Your Shoes Size

Finally, when choosing a skateboard deck, think about the size of your shoes. Although it’s not a major consideration, you might prefer a slightly wider deck if you have very large feet.

Generally speaking, you don’t want your feet protruding too much from the deck because this reduces stability. On the other hand, you don’t want to have too much space for your feet because doing flip tricks becomes much more difficult.

The skateboard deck and shoe size chart we created for you is at the end of this article.

What Skateboard Size Is Best for Beginners?

If you’re considering taking up skating but are unsure of which deck size to pick, we suggest beginning with a normal deck, which will allow you to ride every obstacle without impeding your advancement.

Adult skaters often do well with a deck size of 8.0″ to 8.5″. Start with an 8.0″-8.1″ if you intend to perform more street skating than transition skating. You can’t go wrong choosing an 8.5″ deck if you prefer skateboarding ramps.

However, as was already indicated, your morphology, power, and age will all be factors. Kids and younger teens should use thinner decks (ranging from 7.5″ to 8.0″), for just this reason.

What Is the Standard Skateboard Size?

We can observe that some deck sizes are significantly more popular than others despite the large range of decks that are available:

Street skateboarders’ preferred deck size has increased since the invention of the standard skateboard. For instance, riding a 7.5″–7.75″ deck was quite typical ten years ago, providing the best maneuverability and control for pulling off tricks. Any deck larger than 8.0″ would have been considered transition set-up by default.

Today, it is evident that skaters that are the most technical use decks between 8.0″ and 8.25″. Even professional skaters agree that this range of deck width appears to offer the best blend of responsiveness, balance, and comfort.

Size of Skateboards Used Typically for Transition Skating

Massive decks have been used by transition skaters from the beginning of time. Most of the old-school decks used to cruise down hills and ride backyard pools were 9 inches or larger and came in all different designs.

However, in modern times, park skating is the exact reverse of the street phenomena. The requirements of transition skaters in a set-up substantially varied as their skill level increased.

Get rid of the bulky old boat and welcome the popsicle-shaped deck’s slimmer design, which makes it easier to perform intricate air and grind tricks. Transition decks typically range in size from 8.5″ to 9.0″.

Typical Skateboard Dimensions for All-Purpose Skating

As was already mentioned, the development of skateboarding as a sport affected every discipline’s ideal deck size. With it, a new generation of riders started to appear. skating hybrids. willing and able to bike on any terrain.

All-around skaters use standard-sized boards, typically falling between 8.3″ and 8.5″, at the nexus of street and transition skating.

What Size Skateboards Do Professionals Use?

Professional skateboarders have different favorite sizes depending on what they skate, much like the normal skater. If we had to guess, we could approximate roughly by looking at the dimensions of some professional models from various fields.

Street Professional Skateboarders: 8.0” – 8.125”

Street skating includes a wide range of distinct skating styles and requirements. However, it is obvious that 2 sizes are significantly more common among elite skaters across all sports. Here is a list of some of the best professional skaters along with the size of their appropriate boards.

Gap skaters: Chris Joslin and Aurélien Giraud both use 8.0″ Plan B decks and are known for throwing the hardest tricks down long flights of stairs. Two legendary skaters who are recognized for ripping down the hardest spots, Dave Bachinski and Tommie Sandoval, also use an 8.0″ deck.

Rail skaters: Two of the best contest handrail skaters, Jamie Foy and Yuto Horigome, also skate on 8.0″ decks. Nyjah Huston, who has held the top spot in the global rankings for the previous ten years, selected a deck that is 8.125 inches thick.

Flow skaters: Some skaters appear to be doing it naturally, as if they were born to do it. A unique, carefree, and extremely stylish style. These skaters typically push through lines and are capable of skating just about anything that comes their way. For instance, 8.125″ decks are perfect for the flows of Louie Lopez and Gustav Tonnesen. With an 8.0″ deck, Mark Suciu enjoys to glide through New York City.

Ledge skaters with technical prowess: Lastly, there are the renowned tech wizards, who can perform any trick combo possible—even better than on Skate 3—with ease. Paul Rodriguez, Gustavo Ribeiro, and Shane O’Neill are three of these tech guys who are adamant about using the 8.0. Only Felipe Gustavo’s 8.25″ deck stands out as an anomaly.

Professional skateboarders who are all-around: 8.25″ to 8.5″

A new breed of skaters has emerged in the last ten years, capable of ripping as much on bowls as they would on 10 step handrails or 10 ft drops.

Wes Kremer, the 2014 Skater of the Year, uses flat 8.25″ decks. The same is true for Zion Wright, a US contender for a gold medal in park skateboarding at the Olympics. Having a broader set-up and pointing at 8.38 makes sense for Aaron “Jaws” Homoki, who is renowned for jumping down the largest gaps in history in addition to being an incredible transition skater.

Park Professional Skateboarders: 8.5”+

Transition skaters have by far the most dispersed set of skateboard sizes and shapes. Some pros ride asymmetrical old-school shapes while some prefer the traditional popsicle shape. Some ride gigantic decks, some ride slightly wider skateboards than street skaters would.

Here are some measurements of the best skaters in the two primary transition skating categories:

Bowl skaters: The majority of competitors on the professional contest circuit skate on decks that are roughly 8.5 inches wide. On an 8.5,” Tristan Rennie, Pedro Barros, and Jaime Mateu fly anywhere. In order to skate 8.675″ down the steepest banks, Ben Raybourn.

Vert skaters: This sport is a totally different animal. To absorb all the speed you are launched at, you need a very comfortable setup. Tony Hawk, one of the sport’s legends, currently skates on relatively small 8.5″ decks, compared to the 9.0″ pro decks he once used. Mega ramp maniacs Both Bob Burnquist and Danny Way use 8.625″ decks.

Freestyle Professional Skateboarders: 7.25” – 7.5”

It all started with freestyle skating. Rodney Mullen, the father of contemporary skateboarding, created the discipline of freestyle skating, where skaters always used significantly narrow decks with recognizable side rails.

The majority of decks used by contemporary freestyle skaters today are between 7.25″ and 7.5″. Rodney Mullen prefers a 7.375″ skateboard, while Andy Anderson, the next heir apparent to the sport, skates a 7.49″ Powell Peralta deck when he wants to catch a freestyle-heavy session. Kevin Harris has a 7.25″ pro-model.

Is a Bigger Skateboard Better?

When it comes to sizing, there isn’t really a great option in skateboarding. Just a variety of choices are accessible. The size that makes you feel the most comfortable is the ideal one.

In comparison to thinner boards, a larger skateboard will be more stable and have a greater turning range. Big decks are typically the best option if you want to ride pools and transition primarily—or cruise around the city. They are ideal to sustain high-speed and grind thick copings.

For technical street skating, on the other hand, a thinner deck will be more responsive and easier to spin about. A thin deck, however, will be less stable. To land on correctly, much more control is needed.

How much skateboard is an 8.0?

The majority of 8.0″ decks are 31.75″ long. despite the fact that skateboard decks don’t have a standard length. Finding 8.0″ that are 31.63″ or 31.875″ long is not unusual.

Some 8.0″ decks can even be substantially longer at 32.35″, while others can be significantly shorter at 30.75″, depending on the brand, shape, and concave.

This factor is minimal, which explains why there is such a slight variation in length for decks with comparable width. Deck length is irrelevant, as I’ve stated numerous times previously. The width is what matters.

Because they don’t significantly alter your setup’s physics, differences in deck length are rarely visible. In contrast, if a board is broader or thinner than your standard setup, you can see right away.

Shoe size and skateboard deck width

Choose a skateboard deck that corresponds to the size of your shoes. It’s probably a bad omen if your feet hang out on your deck. Your progress could be hampered by an improperly sized deck, which could potentially cause injury.

If you don’t have a very unusual shoe size, you shouldn’t worry too much about this issue. You should be able to skate pretty much any size listed throughout this guide if you wear man’s size 7.5 to 10 shoes.

Skateboard Size & Shoe Size Chart

Here is a simple table to offer you some ranges to chose from when choosing a deck if you don’t have a skate store nearby and can’t personally step on a deck before buying it. Please take note that this table is simply intended to be a starting point and that it primarily applies to street skating.

Deck size and trucks

Without discussing the truck and deck association, one of the key factors to take into account when selecting a board, this guide would be incomplete.
See, if your trucks and deck sizes are not compatible, you could experience a variety of problems, like wheelbite, nut cracks, and poor turning radius, to mention a few.
Use our table to determine the ideal truck and deck size combinations to avoid these.

Final Thoughts

Don’t stop at the size you choose for your first complete skateboard. Keep trying new things. Before you establish your go-to set-up, you’ll definitely end yourself varying sizes quite a bit.
Check out our analysis of some of the best skateboard decks where we discuss form, concave, wheelbase, and a ton of other considerations because choosing a skateboard deck involves much more than just size.